As one of South Dakota’s leading conservative organizations, Rushmore PAC is committed to supporting candidates who support conservative values in both word and deed. For several election cycles now, Rushmore PAC has worked hard to elect conservative voices to office in State, Federal, and Local Elections and recently, we’ve been pushing hard to re-elect a …

In one fell swoop, President Donald Trump wiped away 8 years of obstruction of infrastructure and energy independence from the Federal Government, and approved the Keystone XL Pipeline: The United States has issued a presidential permit for TransCanada Corp’s Keystone XL oil pipeline, the Canadian company said on Friday, ending a years-long battle between environmentalists …

Rushmore PAC offers congratulations to PAC Chair Dan Lederman for his election today to the position of Chairman of the South Dakota Republican Party. Running on a message of “Three M’s – Money, Message, and Membership, Dan was selected by a majority of members of the South Dakota Republican Central Committee at their annual meeting …

President Donald Trump has wasted little time in taking command since his inauguration this past week, as one of the first items on his agenda was forging ahead on ensuring that America takes a back seat to no one when it comes to energy production. According to NPR: President Trump on Tuesday gave the go-ahead …

As one of South Dakota’s leading conservative organizations, Rushmore PAC is committed to supporting candidates who support conservative values in both word and deed. For several election cycles now, Rushmore PAC has worked hard to elect conservative voices to office in State, Federal, and Local Elections and recently, we’ve been pushing hard to re-elect a conservative voice in Watertown, South Dakota.

Watertown Mayor Steve Thorson has been a driving force for growth and free enterprise. When community projects were in danger of floundering, Mayor Steve Thorson took notice, and made it happen.

Unfortunately, there are those who stand against progress. After being fired from her job with the city for insubordination, Sarah Caron took out petitions to run against the mayor, and has been engaged in a negative campaign, making unsubstantiated charges and allegations to gain traction.

Shortly thereafter, local Watertown residents contacted Rushmore PAC, and helped us spring into action to counter the attack politics of Caron which unfortunately have become more common in campaigns today.

With the encouragement of local residents, we’ve been running newspaper ads, radio ads, and a series of mailers highlighting Thorson’s positive record of growth through development and economic freedom.

Unlike some groups, the Rushmore PAC Organization is an open book, and our filings, including lists of our donors, are available for review through the FEC as well as the South Dakota Secretary of State.

On election day, you will have the opportunity to send a true conservative back to City Hall to fight for limited government, community growth, and making sure Watertown continues progressing forward for years to come.

This coming Tuesday, encourage your friends in Watertown, South Dakota to Re-Elect a Leader for Watertown – Mayor Steve Thorson!

In one fell swoop, President Donald Trump wiped away 8 years of obstruction of infrastructure and energy independence from the Federal Government, and approved the Keystone XL Pipeline:

The United States has issued a presidential permit for TransCanada Corp’s Keystone XL oil pipeline, the Canadian company said on Friday, ending a years-long battle between environmentalists and the industry over whether Washington should approve it.

U.S. President Donald Trump will announce the permit alongside TransCanada (TRP.TO) Chief Executive Officer Russell Girling at the White House later Friday, according to a senior administration official. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said a Keystone XL announcement would come at 10:15 a.m. EDT.

and…

Trump, however, campaigned on a promise to approve it, saying it would create thousands of jobs and help the oil industry, and signed an executive order soon after taking office in January to advance the project.

The multibillion-dollar Keystone XL pipeline would bring more than 800,000 barrels per day of heavy crude from Canada’s oil sands in Alberta into Nebraska, linking to an existing pipeline network feeding U.S. refineries and ports along the Gulf of Mexico.

This is why we needed President Trump. Because the rule of law was absent for far too long for a project that had dotted every “i” and crossed every “t,” and met every regulatory hurdle against it… only to have President Barack Obama & his administration continue to move the bar.

If we are to truly be great as a country again, we need not be afraid of “big ideas” like the Keystone XL project. Yes, wind, solar and nuclear are all good, and their development needs to be supported. But in the meantime, we need oil and coal as well, and should encourage projects that keep energy affordable for our nation, and not beholding to foreign powers for our supply.

The Keystone XL Pipeline is now stamped “Approved!” Thank you President Trump.

President Donald Trump has wasted little time in taking command since his inauguration this past week, as one of the first items on his agenda was forging ahead on ensuring that America takes a back seat to no one when it comes to energy production. According to NPR:

President Trump on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for construction of two controversial oil pipelines, the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access.

As he signed the paperwork in an Oval Office photo op, Trump said his administration is “going to renegotiate some of the terms” of the Keystone project, which would carry crude oil from the tar sands of western Canada and connect to an existing pipeline to the Gulf Coast.

And decisive, forward motion coming after the Obama Administration’s years of inaction have brought brought President Trump kudos from members of the affected delegations, where the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access pipelines had been stymied, allowing promised jobs to be unfulfilled, and forcing equipment to be mothballed:

Rep. Kristi Noem today issued the following statement after President Trump directed the federal government to move forward on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines:

“The United States must look at every opportunity to increase energy independence, if we’re going to expand economic freedom and create a more secure nation. President Trump’s actions showcase his commitment to energy independence and I look forward to working with him as we move our country closer to a made-in-America energy supply.”

And..

U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today issued the following statement on President Trump’s executive action to move forward with construction of the Keystone Xl and Dakota Access pipelines.

“President Trump understands that pipelines provide an effective and efficient means of transporting natural resources and meeting our country’s energy needs,” said Rounds. “Good domestic energy policies include an ‘all of the above’ approach that will strengthen our economy, create jobs and enhance U.S. energy independence. As the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines move forward, I will continue to work with those involved to address their concerns.”

Rushmore PAC strongly support efforts in states to pass anti-discrimination bills aimed at confronting the insidious, hate filed, and anti-Semitic “BDS” movement which seeks, not peace but, the ultimate destruction of the Jewish state of Israel. Their leaders say as much.

It is no secret that under the guise of human rights, this campaign exists to give a voice to opponents who oppose the very existence of a Jewish state. Moreover, their actions often give way to violence and intimidation against Jews. In the United States, and around the world, we have seen an uptick in anti-Semitic incidents. This is particularly evident on American college campuses.

BDS activists advocate economic pressure on businesses to cease business activities in Israel and pressure Israeli businesses, and academics, both in Israel and abroad. This effort is economic warfare meant to weaken Israeli’s position in the region and throughout the world. Additionally, this effort also harms the very people it claims to help. Palestinians have lost good paying jobs with high salaries and benefits because Israeli companies have been forced to move their factories and offices because of pressure from BDS activists. These Palestinians have not been able to find comparable jobs and their families suffer.

It must be asked why these groups that claim to be human rights advocates focus and fixate on the Jewish state when there are hundreds of territorial disputes ongoing around the globe. Atrocities and human rights violations persist unabated throughout the world. The recent genocide and slaughter in Aleppo, Syria is just one such example.

At Rushmore PAC we believe that boycotts of entities and individuals of specific countries very often amount to ethnic, religious, racial, and or nationality discrimination. This discrimination is unacceptable and directly contradicts the ideals of good government, public policy of the state government, and our shared common values.

Individuals and groups, of course, have the right to boycott and protest. That is the right of every American citizen. But states absolutely have the discretion to determine how to spend state dollars. We encourage states, and state legislators and policy makers to unequivocally oppose those that practice discriminatory tactics against Israel and Jews.

Israel is America’s greatest ally in the Middle East. It is the only democracy in a region full of dictators and strongmen who deny their citizens fundamental human rights. Rushmore PAC will be supporting candidates who stand up to anti-Semitic discrimination and who fight back with anti-BDS legislation in their states.

To date, 15 states have passed such laws, and one has enacted an executive order. We encourage states to pass these laws that reaffirm the strength of the US-Israel bond, the importance of strong trade relations between states and the nation of Israel, denounce discrimination, and fight back against the economic warfare aimed at the Jewish state.

The 45th US President of these United States, Donald J. Trump, has assumed his position of leadership for America, and there are already signs that our long American malaise may finally be lifting.

It all ended today.

As protesters and malcontents wailed in the streets and smashed windows in the streets of Washington DC, they did so because they realized their time has passed. They finally had to come to terms with the realization that it’s not just about them. It’s about all of us.

We’re done with the patronization. We’re done with the pampering. Dad has finally come up to their room and said, son, it’s time to go to work.

The economic furnace that has been our nation will no longer sit cold and idle. As idle as the men who made America great through their labor were forced to be idle, while politicians dickered over how they’ll be able to find jobs in the new solar or wind economy. While these people’s families starved and went without.

President Trump began his administration with words of hope for a renewed America, free of the shackles that held it back. No more will we reject the notion of American exceptionalism.

“The American Carnage stops here and now.”

When Donald Trump uttered those words, he was speaking for those of us frustrated that the dreams we held for our children were slowly robbed from them by the red tape of regulation and the shackles of poverty, fueled by a government who wanted to raise up the poor by lowering us all.

The long eight-year winter of our nation is over. Eight years of increasing community unrest. Eight years of our resources for growth being strangled and stymied at the call of special interest groups. Eight years of unprecedented growth in government programs, creating a new generation of those dependent upon others. And eight years of treating one of our most trusted allies in the most turbulent part of the world – Israel – as an enemy.

We’re done with all of that. And today is a brand new day.

Our organization, Rushmore PAC, liked a lot of what we heard today. Similar to our new president, we holds core values of energy independence, peace through strength, and balancing our budget

Donald Trump announced to the country that we will bolster our infrastructure. We will rebuild our country with American hands and American labor. We will be a strong economy, and we will lead the world.

As Trump noted to the country today

“We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.

Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.

Right now in South Dakota a battle is being waged on the Internet, in mailboxes, and in the newspapers by Represent.us, a liberal Massachusetts group who just completed spending over a million dollars in the state to pass a measure to appropriate 12 million in taxpayer dollars from the state treasury and give it to politicians for their political campaigns.

In response to the ballot measure passing, several state legislators, including Blake Curd (R- Sioux Falls) and Deb Peters (R- Hartford), responded by asking the state courts to rule on the constitutionality of the measure, as the new law was so restrictive that it was requiring people to quit their jobs or divorce spouses if they wanted to continue to serve in their legislative seats. In addition, South Dakota law requires expenditures to go through the appropriations process, but the ballot measure bypassed that procedure.

Upon the many questions that the measure brought up being submitted to South Dakota Circuit Court Judge Mark Barnett, the Judge enjoined the measure from going into effect on the basis that he felt several parts would ultimately be found unconstitutional. Ironically, many of the same issues Barnett brought up were not new. Issues of constitutionality had been identified to the sponsors by the State Legislative Research Council prior to the measure being circulated. Unfortunately, the sponsors chose to ignore them.

In the face of ignoring the legal warnings of unconstitutionality given to them, and subsequent court findings of likely unconstitutionality bringing the measure to a screeching halt, what has the response of the measure sponsors been?

Attack the messengers, of course.

Represent.us has been blithely ignoring their own complicity in their measure’s problems, and has launched personal attacks on two of the legislators who brought the lawsuit questioning the measure’s constitutionality – Republican Senate Majority Leader Blake Curd, a United State Air Force Veteran and Orthopedic Surgeon, and Senator Deb Peters, the President Elect of the National Conference of State Legislatures and one of Governing Magazine’s Public Officials of the Year for 2016.

Represent.us is attacking the Senators for asking the courts for definitive confirmation of what was alluded to before – that there were some big problems with Initiated Measure 22.

Think about it. They attacked them for going to court, and asking a judge to settle problems that the measure sponsors had known about for over a year. That doesn’t sound like the deep pockets of Represent.us are mad over something that’s wrong. That sounds like they’re upset they got caught in their own deception, as they prematurely celebrated almost succeeding in pulling the wool over voters’ eyes.

But, this shouldn’t come as a shock. The people involved in Represent.us are all about pulling a fast one on voters.

Tired of the negative attacks designed to divert attention from the real issue – their unconstitutional measure? Call in your support for Senators Curd and Peters to the Senate Lobby at 605-773-3821, or send a letter to the editor to your local newspapers. Let everyone know that the bad guys trying to buy South Dakota don’t get to win!

Sen. Mike Rounds: Time for a real strategy to keep Americans safe from cyber threats

It is alleged that in recent months, the Russian government conducted cyber hacks of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) server and attempted to hack the Republican National Committee (RNC) email system.

In October 2016, the Department of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence stated that the cyber hackers “intended to interfere with the U.S. election process” – a very serious charge.

On Dec. 16, 2016, President Obama informed reporters that he told Russian leader Vladimir Putin to “knock it off” in September after hearing of the attack on the DNC and that no further hacking attempts were made after that. Two weeks later on Dec. 29, President Obama imposed sanctions against Russian intelligence services and kicked dozens of Russian diplomats out of the country.

Meanwhile, voters of varied political viewpoints are rightfully distressed. Some Clinton supporters believe the hack swayed voters toward the president-elect, while some Trump voters assert that the publicity of the attacks stems from yet another post-mortem excuse from the losing side.

No matter which camp one is in, it should be apparent to all Americans that the United States is not immune to damaging cyber-attacks from hostile foreign nations and other bad actors. We must update our national security policies to deter such attacks before a future debilitating attack occurs, possibly on civilian critical infrastructure.

Senior officials at the Pentagon have been warning about a “Cyber 9/11” or “Cyber Pearl Harbor” for years. We already know that foreign actors have attempted to access the cyber domains of critical infrastructure in the U.S.

Imagine what would happen if a foreign actor interfered with the operations of a nuclear power plant, or shut down the communications that control aircraft operations, rail operations or water releases from large dams. Such an attack on our critical infrastructure could threaten our entire economy or – worse – lead to loss of life. Without an appropriate plan in place to stop or respond to these cyber-attacks, we put ourselves at increased risk for a catastrophic attack to occur.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, broadening our national defense policies to adequately address cyber-attacks on civilian critical infrastructure has been a priority of mine. I am glad that Congress included a provision in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would begin the process of defining when an act in cyber space constitutes an act of war. With language similar to my Cyber Act of War Act, the NDAA will require the administration to determine when a cyber-attack on the United States requires a military response. This is vital because, while current policies permit the Pentagon to respond to a cyber-attack against military forces, our nation does not have a clear policy to govern our response to attacks on civilian infrastructure. The NDAA seeks to change that.

Now that the NDAA is law, the administration will have until December 2017 to give Congress a report on when a cyber act would warrant a military response. In preparing this report, the administration must consider (1) the ways in which the effects of a cyber-attack may be equivalent to effects of an attack using conventional kinetic weapons, including with respect to physical destruction and casualties, and (2) intangible effects of significant scope, intensity or duration.

Defining when a cyber-attack requires a military response is but one in a series of steps we must take to deter our enemies from attacking the United States with this new, sophisticated form of aggression.

While our national focus may be on whether the Russian hack allegations warrant an investigation and Obama’s recent retaliation will deter future attacks, we must not lose sight of the fact we need a defined strategy for how to keep Americans safe from cyber-threats.

We cannot know if the alleged hacks in 2016 would have been thwarted had the provisions of my Cyber Act of War Act had already been in law. What we do know is that, absent a clear message to our adversaries as to when a cyber-attack may warrant a U.S. military response, we will not have done all we can to deter devastating attacks in the future. Recent events have shown that such action is urgently needed.

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(Note – this piece originally appeared on the Fox News Opinion website)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) today introduced H.R.246, the Jobs and Premium Protection Act, a bipartisan bill that would repeal the Affordable Care Act’s costly Health Insurance Tax (HIT). If enacted, the provision could save families as much as $400 per year in healthcare premium costs, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

“Many small businesses in South Dakota have faced a stunning reality since the passage of Obamacare: They can’t really afford to pay for the expensive mandated insurance, but they also can’t afford the HIT if they don’t provide insurance. Essentially, they’re taxed if they do and taxed if they don’t,” said Noem. “As a result, many employers have been forced to either cut workers’ hours or limit the small business’s growth. The Jobs and Premium Protection Act would open new economic opportunities from South Dakota to Arizona while giving thousands of families the peace of mind that their financial independence won’t be jeopardized because of this regressive tax.”

“Arizonans continue to struggle with increasing health care costs,” said Sinema. “Eliminating the tax is a bipartisan, commonsense fix that lowers out of pocket costs for hardworking Arizonans. I’m committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to provide relief for individuals, families, and employers and increase access to quality, affordable health care.”

The HIT is a direct tax on health insurance providers for the services they provide to individuals, families, and other beneficiaries. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this tax is passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Additionally, the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation found the HIT will cost between 152,000 and 286,000 jobs by 2023, with 57 percent of those lost jobs represented in small businesses.